Flotation Devices

We belong to a little pool here in town. I suspect that at one time it was part of an HOA, but once the neighborhood matured, the HOA disbanded, and the pool became it's own entity. Like an HOA pool, it's open only to members, but anyone who wants to can join - and it's been lovingly a 'summer home' for many, many families in our area. We've known about it for a long time, but it wasn't until this summer that we joined, as it seemed important for us to have a place to retreat to when the summer dull-drums came into effect or we needed to escape the heat.

It's been a fun experience, and one that I hope we participate in for years to come.

Over the course of the summer, a natural rhythm developed. At some part of the day, once class was over for the day and Charles returned to work, JB and BW would grow tired of each other's company and the bickering would begin. At that point, Mama grabbed a few snacks, the towels and computer, and off we'd head to the pool for a couple of hours of sun, fresh air and the kids could use their 'outdoor' voices while mama was able to get some homework done.

Oftentimes, BW's and JB's friends from school would be there and it was a lot of fun to see how the children would play amongst themselves and work out tense moments, misunderstandings and conflict. It was also amazing to see how quickly the kids adapted to the water, and turned into swimming fish almost overnight.

Perhaps the most memorable game they came up with involved a colossal alligator shaped inflatable raft upon which two or three children could ride. I'm not sure what the lifeguards thought the first time they heard BW and his buddy screaming "TITANIC!!!" at the top of their lungs as they tipped it over and swam under the thing splashing and screaming that they were sinking.

At first, Titanic easily held three 1st graders on it's back without thread of sinking and was immediately THE MOST POPULAR toy in the world, or so I was told by many mama's wondering a) where ever did we find such a thing, and b) how in the world did we fit it into my little car. (I drive an Escape, and it took some maneuvering to get it in there!)

From that first moment, we never again left for the pool without Titanic in tow, even after he sprang a leak and was no longer as buoyant... He was in fact even more popular once he wasn't as turgid since he was easier to tip, and far more likely to sink as they 'struggled' along resisting "THE TITANIC!!! AHHHH HE'S SINKING!!!!"

This last weekend was the last of the season. The pool is now officially closed after getting a late start due to cold weather and construction delays. Titanic retired to the recycle bin with a great deal of pomp and circumstance, reminiscing about how much fun he was, and many utterances that the pool would never be the same. The house had two very distraught, somber children.

Charles went shopping again. And somehow, from somewhere (he won't share) another box, filled with a plastic inflatable alligator silently appeared. Squeals of delight were heard from the Olson household.

It's pretty much guaranteed that next summer we will once again be toting along a worn and sagging alligator by the name of Titanic Too, as he was gleefully christened, and if you drive by our little community pool screams of "AHHH THE TITANIC'S SINKING!!!" may be heard.

That is, if they let us back in.